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Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
Stockton,  Calif. 


LAW  AND  WORK 


LOVE  FULFILS  LAW 

THE  LOGIC  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE 

UNDISTURBED 

GOD'S  LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT 

AUTHORITY 


Articles  republished  from 
the  Christian  Science  periodicals 


THE  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  PUBLISHING  SOCIETY 

FALMOUTH  AND  ST.  PAUL  STREETS 

BOSTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 

U.  S.  A. 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
The  Christian  Science  Publishing  Society. 


LAW  AND  WORK 


LOVE  FULFILS  LAW 

IN  a  little  book  by  Professor  Drummond  we  read: 
"Every  one  has  asked  himself  the  great  question 
of  antiquity  as  of  the  modern  world:  What  is  the 
summum  bonum — the  supreme  good?  You  have 
life  before  you.  Once  only  you  can  live  it.  What  is 
the  noblest  object  of  desire,  the  supreme  gift  to 
covet?"  He  then  goes  on  to  speak  of  faith  and  the 
need  of  possessing  it,  and  quotes  from  Paul,  "If  I 
have  all  faith,  so  as  to  remove  mountains,  but  have 
not  love,  I  am  nothing"  (Rev.  Ver.);  to  which  he  adds 
Paul's  striking  climax,  "Now  abideth  faith,  hope, 
love,  .  .  .  and  the  greatest  of  these  is  love."  Pro- 
fessor Drummond  therefore  called  his  book  "The 
Greatest  Thing  in  the  World,"  and  so  beautiful  is  it, 
and  so  unanswerable,  that  Mrs.  Eddy  once  said  she 
had  intended  to  write  such  a  book  herself,  but  Pro- 
fessor Drummond  had  done  it  so  well  that  he  had 
saved  her  the  effort. 

Professor  Drummond  reminds  us  that  Peter  says, 
"Above  all  things  have  fervent  love  among  your- 
selves," and  that  John  goes  even  farther  in  his  decla- 
ration that  "God  is  love."  Love  being  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world,  it  should  and  does  demand  our 
attention.     What  greater  need  is  there  than  that  we 


4  LAW  AND  WORK 

should  contemplate  it,  desire  it,  and  possess  it?  Love 
is  the  potent  factor  in  all  good.  We  may  safely  say 
that  the  work  which  Christian  Scientists  do  for  hu- 
manity, the  work  which  tells,  the  work  which  brings 
about  demonstration,  is  inspired  by  this  wonderful 
love,  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world.  When  love  for 
humanity  takes  possession  of  the  heart,  it  dominates 
every  other  affection  and  desire,  unless  we  except  the 
love  for  God  which  is  so  akin  to  it.  This  love  for 
our  fellows  manifests  itself  in  a  constant  effort  to 
benefit  mankind.  Throughout  the  ages  men  and 
women  have  abandoned  the  home  life,  with  its  beau- 
tiful conditions  and  accompaniments,  and  devoted 
themselves  unselfishly  to  the  amelioration  of  sorrow, 
sickness,  sin,  and  death  itself.  All  this  has  been 
done  without  the  knowledge  of  Christian  Science, 
without  the  understanding  which  alone  can  utterly 
destroy  these  enemies  of  the  happiness  of  man. 

This  love,  the  reflection  of  the  Love  which  we  call 
God,  good,  is  ever  impelling  us  to  greater  effort,  and 
we  cannot  afford  to  ignore  His  call  to  a  higher  life, 
since  only  by  the  measure  of  the  love  we  entertain 
in  our  hearts  can  we  be  assured  that  we  are  reflect- 
ing the  divine.  "Love  is  impartial  and  universal" 
(Science  and  Health,  p.  13) ;  and  is  our  rock,  our  bul- 
wark, and  our  defense.  It  is  also  the  energy  which 
moves  creation;  it  is  the  fountain  of  effort;  it  is  the 
essence  of  all  true  power.  It  is  inexorable  in  de- 
mands which  can  be  answered  only  by  itself.  The 
sooner  we  become  at-one  with  it,  banishing  from 


LOVE  FULFILS  LAW  5 

consciousness  everything  unlike  God,  good,  the 
sooner  we  become  aUied  with  the  motive  power  of 
the  universe. 

Wherever  we  may  be,  no  matter  how  humble  and 
seemingly  unattractive  our  surroundings,  Love  can 
be  relied  upon  to  relieve  any  discomfort  of  our  en- 
vironment. Whatever  our  occupation  or  duty,  the 
manifestation  of  divine  Love  ever  begets  harmony 
and  smooths  our  way.  It  puts  aside  obstruction, 
wraps  us  in  the  folds  of  infinite  compassion,  and 
brings  us  a  consciousness  of  the  effulgence  and  glory 
of  the  divine  presence.  Whatever  our  sins,  our 
sufferings,  our  woes,  or  our  mistakes.  Love  with 
its  infinite  law  casts  these  beliefs  into  the  outer 
darkness,  the  nothingness  of  oblivion,  and  clothes 
us  in  the  shining  raiment  of  purity,  health,  and  per- 
fection. 

To  understand  Love  means  to  heal  the  sick;  to 
manifest  Love  means  to  bless  mankind.  "Clad  in 
the  panoply  of  Love,"  as  Science  and  Health  tells  us 
(p.  571),  "human  hatred  cannot  reach  you."  It  is 
the  destroyer  of  evil,  the  fulfilment  of  the  law.  Do 
we  as  Christian  Scientists  sufficiently  understand 
this?  Do  we  believe  it?  Do  we  strive  for  the  pres- 
ence of  this  heavenly  visitor  in  consciousness?  Are 
we  sure  that  we  want  it?  When  we  subject  thought 
to  Love's  tests,  do  we  wonder  why  our  patients  are 
not  always  healed,  why  we  are  not  happy,  why  our 
demonstrations  lag,  why  our  consciousness  is  barren 
of  health  and  joy  and  peace  and  dominion? 


6  LAW  AND  WORK 

Mrs.  Eddy  says,  "Keep  your  minds  so  filled  with 
Truth  and  Love,  that  sin,  disease,  and  death  cannot 
enter  them''  (The  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist, 
and  Miscellany,  p.  210).  A  mind  so  filled  dominates 
whatever  would  oppose  the  truth,  be  it  sickness,  sin, 
misfortune,  or  distress  of  any  kind.  The  hem  of  the 
garment,  the  outermost  circle  of  thought  of  such  a 
one,  effects  healing  by  its  touch.  In  this  thought 
there  must  be  no  envy,  no  criticism,  no  ambition,  no 
hatred,  no  malice,  not  even  the  unkind  avoidance  of 
one's  fellows:  nothing  but  the  loving  desire  to  reflect 
the  divine  consciousness. 

In  the  article  on  Obedience  found  in  "Miscellaneous 
Writings"  Mrs.  Eddy  says  (p.  117),  "Obedience  is 
the  offspring  of  Love;  and  Love  is  the  Principle  of 
unity,  the  basis  of  all  right  thinking  and  acting;  it 
fulfils  the  law."  It  is  therefore  seen  that  the  manifes- 
tation of  Love,  which  we  have  been  urging,  requires 
obedience  to  the  divine  Principle  of  Life,  and  to  find 
and  understand  its  rule  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian. 
Scientist.  That  there  should  be  any  divergence  of 
opinion  as  to  the  rule  governing,  is  one  of  the  lament- 
able facts  which  mortal  mind  prescribes,  and  one 
which  all  have  to  meet.  The  attainment  of  unity  of 
opinion  as  to  the  duty  and  the  rule  governing  man- 
kind is  one  of  the  problems  to  be  solved  through 
the  understanding  of  the  ever-presence  and  all-power 
of  Love. 

That  people  should  differ  sometimes  regarding 
questions  pertaining  to  the  application  and  use  of 


LOVE  FULFILS  LAW  7 

Christian  Science,  is  not  surprising.  Only  in  axioms 
and  fundamental  truths  do  we  find  solid  ground  be- 
neath our  feet.  These  fundamentals  of  Science,  its 
absolute  statements,  its  positive  declarations,  its 
self-evident  propositions,  we  might  liken,  for  pur- 
poses of  illustration,  to  the  structure  or  framework 
of  a  building.  These  must  conform  to  the  laws 
of  architecture.  In  order  to  provide  shelter,  to  be 
strong,  to  be  able  to  support  its  roof,  its  floors,,  and 
the  weight  that  will  rest  upon  it  and  in  it,  the  struc- 
ture must  scientifically  meet  all  the  demands  which 
will  be  made  upon  it.  But  when  it  comes  to  the 
material  used  in  its  walls,  its  ornamentation,  its 
color,  its  shape,  etc.,  the  drapery,  so  to  speak,  of  the 
building,  it  is  permitted  that  climate,  environment, 
expense,  taste,  and  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  con- 
structed, shall  govern. 

Likewise  in  the  externalization  of  scientific  under- 
standing in  man,  after  the  demands  of  absolute 
Science  are  complied  with,  he  is  influenced  by  the 
class  to  which  he  belongs,  his  environment,  his  educa- 
tion, the  work  to  which  he  decides  that  his  under- 
standing must  be  applied,  and  by  the  mental  attitude 
in  which  Science  finds  him.  Nevertheless,  the  funda- 
mentals, if  properly  understood,  will  influence  every 
part  of  his  being  and  every  line  of  his  thought. 

If  two  men,  different  in  race,  color,  and  training, 
were  to  become  interested  in  Christian  Science  at  the 
same  time,  it  is  probable  that  their  ways  would  im- 
mediately begin  to  converge,  and  ultimately  thef 


8  LAW  AND  WORK 

would  think  much  alike  on  all  important  subjects. 
But  during  this  convergence,  we  can  readily  see  that 
although  the  impulsion  was  the  same  in  each,  in  be- 
lief it  would  be  a  long  time  before  the  influences  that 
seemingly  control  mankind  could  be  sufficiently 
overcome  to  render  them  very  similar.  In  our  inter- 
course with  our  fellows  it  seems  that  this  condition 
of  things  should  be  recognized,  and  that  we  should 
make  due  allowance  in  our  estimate  of  one  another 
for  these  secondary  manifestations.  Everything  that 
is  not  Science  is  its  opposite;  this  we  know  and  all 
admit;  but  every  time  we  meet  some  one  who  differs 
from  us  in  opinion  or  in  the  apprehension  and  scien- 
tific rule  and  action,  we  need  not  necessarily  think 
that  he  must  therefore  be  avoided  and  condemned. 
Science  should  make  us  very  loving,  very  compassion- 
ate and  forgiving. 

Those  who  are  Christian  Scientists  well  know  the 
temptations  and  pitfalls  through  which  a  Scientist 
must  wend  his  way;  they  know  the  influences  which 
abound  in  the  human  mind  and  how  wary  and  indus- 
trious one  must  be  to  pursue  his  course  without  en- 
countering them;  but  they  also  know  that  the  only 
man  there  is,  is  the  image  and  likeness  of  God,  with- 
out blemish  and  without  spot.  Hence,  we  have  to 
consider  only  the  condition  of  thought  which  we  be- 
lieve governs  our  neighbor  in  the  main  and  to  forgive 
an  occasional  lapse  from  what  we  regard  as  perfec- 
tion, even  as  we  would  desire  him  to  forgive  us  under 
like  circumstances.     The  rain  falls  "on  the  just  and 


LOVE  FULFILS  LAW  9 

on  the  unjust;"  the  sun  shines  aUke  upon  the  green 
pastures  and  upon  the  desert,  which  seemingly  de- 
rives no  benefit  therefrom,  and  we  are  told  that  "God 
is  no  respecter  of  persons."  So  the  love  that  is  near- 
est to  the  divine,  **the  greatest  thing  in  the  world," 
dwelling  in  the  hearts  of  men,  not  only  blesses  the 
near  and  dear  ones,  but  impersonally  blesses  every 
one,  and  everything  that  the  thought  of  that  man 
embraces. 

Speaking  of  this  silent  influence  of  love,  Professor 
Drummond  relates:  "In  the  heart  of  Africa,  among 
the  great  lakes,  I  have  come  across  black  men  and 
women  who  remembered  the  only  white  man  they 
ever  saw  before — David  Livingstone;  and  as  you 
cross  his  footsteps  in  that  dark  continent,  men's  faces 
light  up  as  they  speak  of  the  kind  doctor  who  passed 
there  years  ago.  They  could  not  understand  him; 
but  they  felt  the  love  that  beat  in  his  heart." 

By  attuning  our  hearts  to  the  God  who  is  Love, 
and  by  reflecting  His  radiance  upon  all  that  sur- 
rounds us,  the  beauty  of  our  lives  will  brighten  and 
bless,  not  only  our  own  pathway,  but  the  pathway 
of  the  many  who  tread  with  us  the  rugged  road  that 
leads  from  sense  to  Soul,  where  Love  is  supreme 
over  all. 

Mrs.  Kate  Davidson  Kimball. 


THE  LOGIC  OF.  CHRISTIAN   SCIENCE 

LOGIC  has  been  defined  as  the  science  on  which 
correct  thought  depends,  the  art  of  attaining,  by 
argument,  a  correct  conclusion,  and  avoiding  an  in- 
correct conclusion.  The  truths  embodied  in  the  the- 
ology of  Christian  Science  are  based  upon  a  right 
understanding  of  God  and  His  attributes,  which  leads 
to  correct  scientific  conclusions  as  to  the  divine  na- 
ture of  creator  and  creation.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  "superb  logic"  which  characterizes  all  of 
Mrs.  Eddy's  writings,  makes  an  appeal  to  the  man 
on  the  street  who  is  able  to  follow  and  to  appreciate 
the  value  of  the  convincing  arguments  he  finds  in  the 
teaching  of  Christian  Science.  A  careful  and  sys- 
tematic study  of  Mrs.  Eddy's  book,  "Science  and 
Health  with  Key  to  the  Scriptures,"  and  her  other 
writings,  will  make  it  apparent  to  the  student  that 
her  process  of  reasoning  is  the  essence  of  pure  logic. 
Every  syllogism  in  Science  and  Health  is  based  upon 
Bible  texts.  God  is  perfect,  infinite,  one,  the  only 
creator,  and  the  sequence  leads  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  is  one  perfect,  infinite  creation  or  universe. 
God  is  noumenon,  universe  is  phenomena,  the  full 
and  complete  expression  of  God.  God  and  man  are 
inseparable — a  logical  fact  uttered  by  Jesus  when  he 
said,  "I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

10 


THE  LOGIC  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  11 

It  is  a  well  established  rule  of  all  logical  processes, 
that  a  complete  conclusion  is  as  binding  and  neces- 
sary as  are  the  premises  from  which  it  is  drawn. 
Mrs.  Eddy's  argument  is  distinguished  by  her  insist- 
ence on  the  importance  and  validity  of  this  rule,  in 
its  application  to  all  conclusions  relating  to  God  and 
His  attributes.  She  says :  "Inductive  or  deductive  rea- 
soning is  correct  only  as  it  is  spiritual,  induced  by 
love  and  deduced  from  God,  Spirit;  only  as  it  makes 
manifest  the  infinite  nature,  including  all  law  and 
supplying  all  the  needs  of  man.  Wholly  hypotheti- 
cal, inductive  reasoning  reckons  creation  as  its  own 
creator,  seeks  cause  in  effect,  and  from  atom  and 
dust  draws  its  conclusions  of  Deity  and  man,  law  and 
gospel,  leaving  science  at  the  beck  of  material  phe- 
nomena, or  leaving  it  out  of  the  question.  To  begin 
with  the  divine  noumenon,  Mind,  and  to  end  with  the 
phenomenon,  matter,  is  minus  divine  logic  and  plus 
human  hypothesis,  with  its  effects,  sin,  disease,  and 
death"  (The  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  and 
Miscellany,  p.  349).      - 

By  induction,  Mrs.  Eddy  establishes  the  fact  that 
there  is  one  God,  one  Mind,  by  arguing  from  phenom- 
ena to  noumenon.  She  reasons  along  these  lines: 
The  only  self-evident  thing  in  the  universe  is  con- 
sciousness. If  it  were  possible  for  consciousness  to 
cease  to  be,  nothing  would  be  evident.  Ideas,  or  con- 
scious identities,  emanate  from  Mind,  and  there  can 
be  only  one  infinite,  perfect  Mind.  Mrs.  Eddy's  de- 
ductive logic  assumes  an  alone  God,  a  supreme,  self- 


12  LAW  AND  WORK 

existent  creator.  This  assumption  is  warranted  by 
the  fact  that  creation  is  evident,  and  exists  as  the 
effect  of  some  cause.  A  passage  in  "Miscellaneous 
Writings"  (p.  101)  illustrates  the  deductive  process 
of  reasoning  employed  by  Mrs.  Eddy:  "If  God  is 
All,  and  God  is  good,  it  follows  that  all  must  be 
good;  and  no  other  power/  law,  or  intelligence  can 
exist.  On  this  proof  rest  premise  and  conclusion  in 
Science,  and  the  facts  that  disprove  the  evidence  of 
the  senses." 

The  test  of  the  logic  of  Christian  Science  is  found 
in  its  practical  application  to  every  need  of  material 
existence.  It  solves  every  problem,  answers  every 
query,  delivers  man  from  all  fear  and  doubt  regard- 
ing present  and  future  possibilities,  and  heals  every 
form  of  disease,  until  at  length  the  sinful  human  na- 
ture disappears,  and  man  in  the  image  and  likeness 
of  God  is  understood.  Thousands  of  testimonies  of 
healing  are  proofs  of  the  power  of  logical  understand- 
ing to  commute  the  sentence  of  sin,  disease,  and  death. 
Mrs.  Eddy  makes  pertinent  comment  on  the  falla- 
cious logic  of  current  theology,  in  the  following  pas- 
sage from  "Miscellaneous  Writings"  (p.  27) :  "That 
God,  good,  creates  evil,  or  aught  that  can  result  in 
evil, — or  that  Spirit  creates  its  opposite,  named 
matter, — are  conclusions  that  destroy  their  premise 
and  prove  themselves  invalid.  Here  is  where  Chris- 
tian Science  sticks  to  its  text,  and  other  systems  of 
religion  abandon  their  own  logic." 

Mrs.  Eddy's  process  of  reasoning  has  always  re- 


THE  LOGIC  OF  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE  13 

mained  constant  and  loyal  to  the  logic  which  affirms 
the  allness  of  infinite  Principle,  ever  present  and  ever 
active.  She  has  been  consistent  in  her  fidelity  to  the 
supreme  logic  of  one  perfect  creator  and  one  perfect 
creation.  Her  reasoning  is  as  clear  and  definite  as 
is  that  of  mathematics.  Mrs.  Eddy  does  not  hesitate 
to  carry  to  its  complete  conclusion  the  initial  truth 
of  creation  recorded  in  the  first  verse  of  Genesis, 
"In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth."  Because  God  is  the  only  creator  of  all  that 
'  is,  because  God  is  good,  is  Life,  there  can  be  no 
opposite  of  God,  no  evil,  no  matter,  no  sin,  sickness, 
or  death,  and  this  logical  reasoning  comes  to  the 
diseased  and  the  sinful,  to  heal  and  to  give  higher 
and  purer  ideals  of  spiritual  existence. 

A  multitude  of  witnesses  give  evidence  of  instanta- 
neous healing,  which  invariably  comes  to  the  individ- 
ual consciousness  which  is  prepared  to  acknowledge, 
at  once  and  without  argument,  the  logical  consist- 
ency of  the  reasoning  process  found  in  Science  and 
Health.  The  searcher  for  truth  finds  in  this  book  a 
heaUng  argumentum  ad  hominem.  The  sick,  the 
discordant,  the  unhappy,  as  well  as  evil  thinkers  and 
evil  doers,  h^ve  been  healed  by  a  logical  comprehen- 
sion of  the  scientific  fact  that  an  evil  or  depraved 
state  of  mind,  or  a  diseased  body,  are  without  a 
cause.  When  the  sick  or  the  sinful  become  con- 
vinced that  it  is  logically  and  scientifically  impossible 
for  man  to  be  sick  or  to  be  less  than  perfect  idea, 
they  are  willing  to  part  with  a  false  belief  that  they 


14  LAW  AND  WORK 

can  be  separated  for  an  instant  from  the  Mind  that 
is  infinite  good.  The  complete  teaching  of  Christian 
Science  includes  a  universal  salvation  from  the  evil 
brood  of  counterfeits  and  lies  about  the  reality  of 
eternal  and  perfect  noumenon  and  phenomena.  Not 
once  after  Mrs.  Eddy  made  her  spiritual  discovery 
of  the  oneness  and  allness  of  God,  did  she  falter  in 
her  serene  understanding  of  the  logic  of  Christian 
Science. 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  the  logician,  however 
loath  he  may  be  to  admit  it,  is  compelled  to  admire 
the  mighty  logic  of  Mrs.  Eddy's  reasoning  from  prem- 
ise to  conclusion.  Or  is  it  any  wonder  that  the 
weary  and  heavy  laden,  the  hopeless  and  forlorn, 
the  sick  and  the  sinner,  are  encouraged  to  expect 
that  they  may  be  saved,  with  the  hope  of  deliverance 
based  on  the  new-born  awakening  to  an  understand- 
ing of  the  truth  of  being? 

WILLARD    S.    MATTOX. 


UNDISTURBED 

THE  world  is  crying  for  peace, — peace  among 
nations,  in  families,  in  the  heart.  Is  it  willing 
to  pay  the  price  for  it?  Surely  all  who  covet  peace 
would  do  well  to  consider  what  the  word  peace  means 
to  them ;  what  the  peace  they  would  have  might  mean 
to  some  one  else.  Peace  signifies  a  state  of  quiet  or 
tranquillity,  calm,  repose,  security,  ease;  to  rest  in 
confidence,  quietness  of  mind  or  conscience, — and 
can  one  be  quiet  or  tranquil  if  he  is  fearful,  anxious, 
disturbed?  Has  he  any  right  to  be,  if  he  has  work 
left  undone;  if  he  is  harboring  any  wrong  thought? 
It  has  been  said  many  times  by  those  who  have 
put  their  hands  to  the  Christian  Science  plow:  "I 
thought  by  being  in  Christian  Science  I  would  find 
peace;  but  I  seem  to  be  more  disturbed  than  ever. 
I  find  more  to  do  than  I  ever  dreamed  there  could 
be."  Suppose  a  room  dimly  lighted  by  a  faint  gleam. 
One  comes  in  and  looks  it  over.  There  are  easy 
chairs;  the  room  seems  richly  furnished,  spacious;  it 
appears  to  be  very  inviting,  very  comfortable.  He 
heaves  a  sigh  of  contentment  and  sits  down  to  rest. 
It  is  very  pleasant  in  this  room,  and  he  is  quite  satis- 
fied to  remain  there,  thinking  he  has  found  just  what 
he  long  has  sought.  After  a  time  the  day  begins  to 
break ;  the  light  comes  in  more  abundantly,  and  with 

15 


16  LAW  AND  WORK 

its  increase  the  visitor  begins  to  see  that  the  walls 
and  ceiling  are  cracked,  dusty,  stained,  and  the  cor- 
ners full  of  cobwebs;  the  furnishings  are  shabby, 
faded,  moth-eaten,  marred.  What  is  he  to  do?  Shall 
he  cry  for  the  darkness  to  hide  the  defects,  or  wel- 
come the  light  that  has  brought  the  uncovering?  take 
the  means  he  has  at  hand,  go  to  work,  clean  and 
renovate  the  room,  transform  it  entire  by  the  right 
renewing?  This  will  mean  work,  hard,  patient,  per- 
sistent effort  on  his  part,  but  does  any  one  question 
that  it  is  worth  while? 

Science  is  the  search-light  of  Truth.  It  reaches 
every  nook  and  cranny,  and  will  not  leave  one  place 
for  error  of  any  name  or  nature  to  hide  in:  "I  form 
the  light,  and  create  darkness:  I  make  peace,  and 
create  evil:  I  the  Lord  do  all  these  things."  Respect- 
ing this  Mrs.  Eddy  says,  "The  prophet  referred  to 
divine  law  as  stirring  up  the  belief  in  evil  to  its 
utmost,  when  bringing  it  to  the  surface  and  reducing 
it  to  its  common  denominator,  nothingness'*  (Science 
and  Health,  p.  540).  To  the  deceived  thought  that 
would  be  content  with  a  false  sense  of  peace  in  the 
unrenovated  room,  the  light  seems  trying;  it  brings 
to  Hght  the  objectionable  and  distressing.  Saith  the 
prophet,  "The  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon 
him;  and  with  his  stripes  [to  our  peace]  we  are 
healed."  The  transgression  of  a  false  sense  of  peace 
and  contentment,  which  is  only  another  name  for 
blindness  (ignorance),  is  upon  every  one  today,  and 
Truth  is  declaring,  "Let  there  be  light." 


UNDISTURBED  17 

If  we  would  have  the  peace  of  Jesus  the  Christ, 
it  must  be  the  peace  of  overcoming,  the  peace  that 
comes  from  first  seeing  the  error  to  be  overcome; 
that  rejoices  in  the  revelations  of  the  light  which 
probes  into  mortal  consciousness,  uncovers  and  dis- 
covers all  that  is  unlike  the  anointed,  the  one  "al- 
together lovely,"  tender  and  true.  We  must  have 
the  "stripes"  which  rebuke  the  erroneous  belief  of 
peace,  and  then  we  shall  find  in  our  very  warfare 
the  real  peace  for  which  we  longed. 

Some  one  has  well  said:  "It  is  well  to  rise  above 
violence,  it  is  well  to  rise  superior  to  anger;  but  if 
peace  means  final  acquiescence  with  wrong,  if  your 
aim  is  less  than  justice  and  peace  for  every  one, 
then  your  peace  is  a  crime."  When  one  finds  himself 
crying  for  peace,  let  him  ask  the  questions,  "Peace 
with  what?  peace  in  what?"  He  who  is  conquering 
fear,  envy,  ambition,  anxiety,  sensitiveness,  anger,  all 
the  passions,  the  works  of  the  flesh,  is  not  crying  for 
peace,  because  he  already  has  it.  He  is  free  from  agi- 
tation, from  disturbance.  His  is  not  the  world-given 
peace  with  error,  a  false  sense  of  peace  that  is  really 
the  opposite  of  peace,  but  rather  the  peace  that  Jesus 
promised,  the  peace  of  conquered  sin.  The  peace  of 
the  greatest  conquest  carries  with  it  the  peace  of  all 
other  conquests.  It  attends  the  overcoming  of  a  false 
sense  of  self,  the  belief  of  a  life  apart  from  God. 

It  is  ours  to  face  the  devil,  evil,  not  to  run  from  it. 
It  is  ours  to  render  to  Caesar  the  things  which  be- 
long to  Caesar,  as  well  as  to  render  to  God  the  things 


18  LAW  AND  WORK 

that  are  God's.  Paul's  understanding  of  Truth  did 
not  keep  the  viper  from  fastening  upon  his  hand,  but 
it  did  prevent  his  being  poisoned.  John's  understand- 
ing did  not  keep  him  from  being  thrown  into  the  boil- 
ing oil  or  being  exiled  to  Patmos,  but  it  did  prevent 
the  oil  from  doing  him  any  harm,  while  on  Patmos 
he  received  the  Revelation.  Daniel  would  not  "defile 
himself  with  the  portion  of  the  king's  meat,  nor  with 
the  wine  which  he  drank."  He  proved  that  he  could 
eat  pulse  and  drink  water  and  remain  strong  and  well; 
nevertheless  he  was  thrown  into  the  lions'  den.  His 
understanding  did  not  keep  him  from  being  thrown 
in,  but  it  brought  him  out  unharmed. 

The  divine  promise  reads:  "When  thou  passest 
through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee;  and  through 
the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee:  when  thou 
walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned; 
neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee;"  and  we  find 
this  correlative  passage  in  "Science  and  Health  with 
Key  to  the  Scriptures"  (p.  495) :  "When  the  illusion 
of  sickness  or  sin  tempts  you,  cling  steadfastly  to  God 
and  His  idea.  Allow  nothing  but  His  likeness  to 
abide  in  your  thought.  Let  neither  fear  nor  doubt 
overshadow  your  clear  sense  and  calm  trust,  that  the 
recognition  of  life  harmonious — as  Life  eternally  is — 
can  destroy  any  painful  sense  of,  or  belief  in,  that 
which  Life  is  not."  It  does  not  say  in  either  refer- 
ence, if  you  pass  through  the  waters,  or  if  the  illusion 
of  sickness  or  sin  tempts  you  or  the  painful  sense 
comes;  it  says  "when."     Vv^e  have  the  whole  path  to 


UNDISTURBED  19 

walk,  the  whole  race  to  run,  and  there  are  tempta- 
tions to  be  overcome,  the  wilderness,  the  fire  to  go 
through,  our  fears  to  face,  and  right  there  we  are  to 
find  Immanuel,  "God  with  us;"  right  there  we  are  to 
find  peace,  the  true  peace  that  passes  understanding, 
because  our  understanding  has  been  demonstrated. 

Just  so  long  as  one  is  afraid  of  something,  he  is  not 
at  peace,  and  need  not  expect  to  be;  he  must  rise  in 
the  strength  of  God,  face  the  fear,  go  through  the  fire 
and  prove  it  powerless,  reduce  it  to  its  least  common 
denominator,  nothing,  then  his  peace  cannot  be  taken 
from  him  or  fade  away.  If  in  the  dim  light  there  is 
something  hidden,  covered,  we  should  want  the  light 
to  uncover  it.  We  should  want  the  light  to  shine 
more  and  more,  even  though  the  uncovering  does 
compel  us  to  work,  work,  work.  It  is  the  only  peace 
that  is  real,  that  is  good  for  anything,  a  peace,  tran- 
quillity, that  cannot  be  disturbed  because  it  is  ours 
through  disturbance  overcome.  "Undisturbed  amid 
the  jarring  testimony  of  the  material  senses,"  Mrs. 
Eddy  writes,  "Science,  still  enthroned,  is  unfolding  to 
mortals  the  immutable,  harmonious,  divine  Principle, 
— is  unfolding  Life  and  the  universe,  ever  present 
and  eternal"  (Science  and  Health,  p.  306). 

We  cannot  separate  the  Scientist  from  Science;  and 
so,  amid  the  jarring  testimony  of  the  material  senses, 
where  the  smoke  of  battle  seems  the  thickest,  right 
there  it  is  ours  to  acquaint  ourselves  with  God  and 
"be  at  peace,"  the  peace  that  will  prove  abiding  and 
inviolable,  j^^^^  Martha  Harris  Bogue. 


GOD'S   LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT 

MAN  lives  by  divine  decree.  He  is  created,  gov- 
erned, supported,  and  controlled  in  accord  with 
the  law  of  God.  Law  means  or  implies  a  rule  that 
is  estabUshed  and  maintained  by  power;  that  which 
possesses  permanence  and  stability;  that  which  is  un- 
changing, unyielding,  and  continuous, — "the  same 
yesterday,  and  today,  and  forever."  The  efficiency 
of  law  rests  entirely  in  the  power  that  enforces  it.  A 
law  (so  called)  that  is  incapable  of  being  enforced  is 
not  law  and  bears  no  relationship  to  law.  God  is  the 
only  creator,  the  only  lawmaker.  "All  things  were 
made  by  him;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing 
made  that  was  made."  All  the  power,  action,  intelli- 
gence, life,  and  government  in  the  universe  belong  to 
God  and  have  always  belonged  to  Him.  He  is  the 
Supreme  Ruler,  and  does  not  share  His  power  with 
another. 

Paul  said,  "The  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and 
death."  So  too  we  know  that  "the  law  of  the  Spirit 
of  life"  frees  us  from  "the  law  of  sin  and  death." 
Why?  Because  all  the  power  there  is,  is  on  the  side 
of  the  law  of  Life,  and  that  which  is  opposed  to  this 
law  of  Life  is  not  law  at  all;  it  is  only  belief.  In 
other  words,  every  law  of  God  has  behind  it  infinite 

20 


GOD'S  LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT  21 

30wer  to  enforce  it,  while  the  so-called  law  of  sin  and 
ieath  has  no  foundation,  has  nothing  back  of  it  that 
t  can  depend  upon. 

When  we  understandingly  declare  that  the  law  of 
jod  is  present  and  is  in  operation,  we  have  invoked 
)r  brought  into  action  the  whole  law  and  the  power 
)f  God.  We  have  declared  the  truth,  God's  truth 
—and  that  truth  of  God  is  the  law  of  annihilation, 
)bHteration,  and  elimination  to  everything  that  is 
inlike  Him.  When  we  have  stated  this  truth,  and 
ipplied  it,  as  taught  in  Christian  Science,  to  any  dis- 
;ordant  belief  with  which  we  are  confronted,  we  have 
lone  all  that  we  can  do  and  all  that  is  necessary  for 
IS  to  do  in  the  destruction  of  any  manifestation  of 
rror  that  ever  claimed  to  exist.  Error,  which  has 
lo  place  in  divine  Mind,  claims  to  exist  in  human 
hought.  When  we  have  put  it  out  of  human 
bought,  we  have  driven  it  out  of  the  only  place 
;^here  it  ever  pretended  to  have  a  foothold,  and  there- 
fter  to  us  it  becomes  nothing. 

There  is  a  law  of  God  that  is  applicable  to  every 
onceivable  phase  of  human  experience,  and  no  situa- 
Lon  or  condition  can  present  itself  to  mortal  thought 
rhich  can  possibly  exist  outside  of  the  direct  influ- 
nce  of  this  infinite  law.  The  effect  of  the  operation 
f  law  is  always  to  correct  and  govern,  to  harmonize 
nd  adjust.  Whatever  is  out  of  order  or  discordant 
an  have  no  basic  Principle  of  its  own  but  must  come 
nder  the  direct  government  of  God  through  whaF 
lay  be  termed  God's  law  of  adjustment.     We  are 


22  LAW  AND  WORK 

not  responsible  for  the  carrying  out  of  this  law.  In 
fact  we  can  do  nothing  in  any  way  to  increase,  stimu- 
late, or  intensify  the  action  or  operation  of  divine 
Mind,  since  it  is  constantly  present,  always  operative, 
and  never  ceases  to  assert  and  declare  itself  when 
rightly  appealed  to.  All  we  have  to  do  is  scientifically 
to  bring  this  law  of  adjustment  into  contact  with  our 
unfinished  problem,  and  when  we  have  done  this  we 
have  performed  our  full  duty.  Some  one  may  say, 
**How  can  the  law  of  God,  operating  mentally,  affect 
my  problem,  which  is  physical?"  This  is  easily 
understood  when  it  is  realized  that  the  problem  is 
not  physical  but  mental.  First  we  must  know  that 
all  is  Mind  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  matter, 
and  thus  exclude  from  thought  the  offending  ma- 
terial sense. 

The  original  definition  of  the  word  disease  is  lack 
of  ease, — discomfort,  uneasiness,  trouble,  disquiet, 
annoyance,  injury.  "Disease,"  Mrs.  Eddy  says,  "is 
an  image  of  thought  externalized.  The  mental  state 
is  called  a  material  state.  Whatever  is  cherished  in 
mortal  mind  as  the  physical  condition  is  imaged  forth 
on  the  body"  (Science  and  Health,  p.  411).  This  also 
applies  to  heat,  cold,  hunger,  poverty,  or  any  form  of 
discord,  all  of  which  are  mental,  though  mortal  mind 
regards  them  as  material  states.  It  can  therefore  be 
easily  seen  how  the  law  of  God,  which  is  mental,  can 
be  applied  to  a  physical  problem. 

In  reality  the  problem  is  not  physical,  but  purely 
mental,  and  is  the  direct  result  of  some  thought  cher- 


GOD'S  LAW  OF   ADJUSTMENT  23 

ished  in  mortal  mind.  If  a  man  were  in  prison,  there 
is  a  law  of  God  which  is  applicable  to  his  condition 
and  which,  if  properly  applied,  would  procure  his 
release.  If  a  man  were  drowning  in  mid-ocean  with 
apparently  no  human  help  at  hand,  there  is  a  law  of 
God  which,  when  rightly  appealed  to,  would  bring 
about  his  rescue.  Does  the  reader  doubt  this?  Then 
he  must  believe  that  it  is  possible  for  man  to  find 
himself  in  a  condition  where  God  cannot  help  him. 
If  one  were  in  a  burning  building  or  a  railroad  acci- 
dent, or  if  he  were  in  a  den  of  lions,  there  is  a  law 
of  God  which  would  at  once  adjust  the  apparent 
material  circumstances  so  as  instantaneously  to  bring 
about  his  complete  deliverance. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  know  in  each  individual 
case  just  what  this  law  of  God  is,  nor  how  it  is  going 
to  operate,  and  an  attempted  investigation  into  the 
why  and  wherefore  would  only  serve  to  interfere  with 
its  operation  and  hinder  the  demonstration.  Any 
fear  on  our  part,  occasioned  by  the  fact  that  divine 
Mind  does  not  know  of  our  plight,  or  that  infinite 
wisdom  lacks  the  inteUigence  necessary  to  bring  about 
a  rescue,  should  be  instantly  put  out  of  thought.  On 
page  62  of  Science  and  Health  we  read:  "The  divine 
Mind,  which  forms  the  bud  and  blossom,  will  care 
for  the  human  body,  even  as  it  clothes  the  lily;  but 
let  no  mortal  interfere  with  God's  government  by 
thrusting  in  the  laws  of  erring,  human  concepts." 
The  trouble  with  us  usually  is  that  we  want  to  know 
just  how  God  is  going  to  help  us  and  when  the  good 


24  LAW  AND  WORK 

results  are  to  be  experienced;  then  we  will  pass  judg- 
ment upon  it  and  decide  whether  we  are  ready  to 
trust  our  case  in  His  hands. 

Let  us  see,  then,  where.  God's  law  of  adjustment 
operates.  God  has  no  need  of  being  adjusted.  The 
only  place  where  there  is  any  demand  for  adjustment 
is  in  human  consciousness;  but  unless  human  con- 
sciousness appeals  to  the  divine  law,  unless  it  is  will- 
ing and  ready  to  lay  down  its  own  sense  of  human 
will  and  stop  human  planning,  put  aside  human  pride, 
ambition,  and  vanity,  there  is  no  room  for  the  law  of 
adjustment  to  operate. 

When  we  in  our  helplessness  reach  the  point  where 
we  see  we  are  unable  of  ourselves  to  do  anything,  and 
then  call  upon  God  to  aid  us;  when  we  are  ready  to 
show  our  willingness  to  abandon  our  own  plans,  our 
own  opinions,  our  own  sense  of  what  ought  to  be 
done  under  the  circumstances,  and  have  no  fear  as  to 
the  consequences, — then  God's  law  will  take  posses- 
sion of  and  govern  the  whole  situation.  We  cannot 
expect,  however,  that  this  law  will  operate  in  our  be- 
half if  we  indulge  any  preconceived  ideas  as  to  how 
it  should  do  its  work.  We  must  completely  abandon 
our  own  view  of  things  and  say,  "Not  my  will,  but 
thine,  be  done."  If  this  step  is  taken  with  confidence 
and  a  full  trust  that  God  is  capable  of  taking  care  of 
every  circumstance,  then  no  power  on  earth  can  pre- 
vent the  natural,  rightful,  and  legitimate  adjustment 
of  all  discordant  conditions. 

This   law  of  adjustment  is  the  universal  law  of 


GOD'S  LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT  25 

Love,  which  bestows  its  blessings  on  all  alike.  It 
does  not  take  from  one  and  give  to  another.  It  does 
not  withhold  itself  under  any  circumstances,  but  is 
ready,  and  waiting  to  operate  as  soon  as  the  invita- 
tion is  given  and  human  will  is  set  aside.  "Whatever 
holds  human  thought  in  line  with  unselfed  love," 
our  Leader  says,  "receives  directly  the  divine  power" 
(Science  and  Health,  p.  192).  When  we  reach  the 
point  where  we  can  in  confidence  and  in  trust  leave 
everything  to  the  settlement  of  God's  law  of  adjust- 
ment, it  will  immediately  relieve  us  of  all  sense  of 
personal  responsibility,  remove  anxiety  and  fear,  and 
bring  peace,  comfort,  and  the  assurance  of  God's 
protecting  care. 

The  most  satisfying  and  comforting  sense  of  peace 
and  joy  always  follows  the  willingness  on  our  part  to 
allow  God  to  control  every  situation  for  us  through 
His  law  of  adjustment.  When  we  understand  that 
infinite  Mind  is  the  ruler  of  the  universe,  that  every 
idea  of  God  is  forever  in  its  proper  place,  that  no 
condition  or  circumstance  can  arise  whereby  a  mis- 
take can  find  lodgment  in  God's  plan,  then  we  have 
the  complete  assurance  that  God  is  capable  of  adjust- 
ing everything  as  it  should  be.  The  fact  is  that  all 
things  are  already  in  their  rightful  place;  that  no 
interference  or  lack  of  adjustment  can  really  occur. 
It  is  only  to  the  unenlightened  human  sense  that 
there  can  be  any  such  thing  as  discord.  God's  uni- 
verse is  always  in  perfect  adjustment,  and  all  His 
ideas  work  together  forever  in  perfect  harmony. 


26  LAW  AND  WORK 

When  we  are  willing  to  give  up  our  frightened  and 
uncertain  sense  of  things  and  let  the  divine  Mind 
govern,  then  and  then  only  shall  we  behold  that  "all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God." 
The  discord  which  seems  to  be  apparent  is  only  what 
mortal  mind  believes,  whether  it  be  sickness,  discom- 
fort, annoyance,  or  trouble  of  any  kind.  When  we 
are  willing  to  relinquish  our  present  views,  even 
though  we  may  believe  we  are  in  the  right  and  an- 
other in  the  wrong,  we  shall  not  suffer  by  laying 
down  our  human  opinions,  but  rather  find  that  the  law 
of  God  is  ready  and  active  in  the  right  adjustment  of 
everything  involved.  It  may  sometimes  seem  hard 
when  we  feel  that  we  are  oppressed  or  imposed  upon, 
to  stop  resisting,  but  if  our  faith  in  the  power  of 
Truth  to  adjust  all  things  is  sufficient,  we  should  be 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  relinquish  our  claims  and 
place  our  trust  in  infinite  wisdom,  which  will  adjust 
everything  according  to  its  own  unerring  law.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  failure  in  the  divine  Mind.  God 
is  never  defeated,  and  those  who  stand  with  Him  will 
always  receive  the  benefits  of  a  victory  over  error. 

What  then  are  we  to  do  when  we  find  ourselves 
involved  in  a  controversy,  in  a  dispute,  or  in  an  un- 
pleasant situation  of  any  kind?  What  are  we  to  do 
when  we  have  been  attacked  and  maligned,  misrepre- 
sented or  abused?  Should  we  endeavor  to  return  in 
kind  what  has  been  done  to  us?  This  would  not  be 
appealing  to  God's  law  of  adjustment.  So  long  as 
we  endeavor  to  settle  the  diflftculty  ourselves,  we  are 


GOD'S  LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT  27 

interfering  with  the  action  of  the  law  of  God.  Under 
any  circumstance  of  this  kind  it  will  avail  us  nothing 
to  fight  back.  We  simply  show  our  human  weakness 
when  we  take  the  matter  into  our  own  hands  and 
attempt  either  to  punish  our  enemies  or  to  extricate 
ourselves  through  any  virtue  of  our  own. 

In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  that  wonderful  mes- 
sage which  he  left  for  the  guidance  of  all  humanity, 
Jesus  said,  "But  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  resist  not  evil : 
but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek, 
turn  to  him  the  other  also.'*  In  other  words,  is  it  not 
better  to  be  smitten  twice  than  to  fight  back?  He 
further  adds,  "If  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law, 
and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also." 
Even  if  we  are  unjustly  deprived  of  what  rightfully 
belongs  to  us,  is  it  not  better  to  suffer  a  second  in- 
vasion than  to  fight  back?  Again  he  said:  "Whoso- 
ever shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go  with  him 
twain.  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him 
that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away."  If 
the  giving  is  done  in  a  righteous  cause  and  with  the 
right  motive,  we  can  lose  nothing  thereby.  Remem- 
ber the  words  of  our  Leader:  "Giving  does  not  im- 
poverish us  in  the  service  of  our  Maker,  neither  does 
withholding  enrich  us"  (Science  and  Health,  p.  79). 

Jesus  again  says:  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been 
said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor,  and  hate  thine 
enemy.  But  I  say  unto  you.  Love  your  enemies, 
bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate 
you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitef  ully  use  you,  and 


28  LAW  AND  WORK 

persecute  you."  Why  all  this?  The  answer  is  given 
in  Jesus*  own  words,  "That  ye  may  be  the  children 
of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven :  for  he  maketh  his 
sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust."  Here  we  see  that 
divine  Love  is  no  respecter  of  persons  and  makes  no 
distinctions  in  showering  its  blessings  on  what  seems 
to  be  evil  as  well  as  on  the  good.  Jesus  adds:  '*For  if 
ye  love  them  which  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye? 
do  not  even  the  publicans  the  same?  And  if  ye  salute 
your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more  than  others?  do 
not  even  the  publicans  so?  Be  ye  therefore  perfect, 
even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect." 

When  there  seem  to  be  two  ways  of  working  out  a 
problem  in  business  or  in  any  of  the  various  walks  of 
life,  and  we  decide  on  a  way  which  seems  best,  how 
can  we  tell,  when  there  are  so  many  arguments 
against  that  way,  whether  the  decision  is  based  on 
Truth  or  error?  Here  is  a  question  which  can  be  de- 
cided only  through  the  demonstration  of  God's  law  of 
adjustment.  There  are  times  when  human  wisdom 
is  inadequate  to  tell  us  just  what  is  the  right  thing  to 
be  done.  Under  such  circumstances  there  is  nothing 
for  us  to  do  but  to  choose  that  which  seems  to  be  in 
accord  with  our  highest  sense  of  right,  knowing  that 
God's  law  of  adjustment  regulates  and  governs  all 
things;  and  even  if  we  choose  the  wrong  way,  we  as 
Christian  Scientists  have  a  right  to  know  that  God 
jvill  not  allow  us  to  continue  in  a  mistake,  but  will 
show  us  the  right  way  and  compel  us  to  walk  therein. 


GOD'S  LAW  OF  ADJUSTMENT  29 

When  we  have  reached  the  point  where  we  are 
willing  to  do  what  seems  to  us  to  be  best  and  then 
leave  the  problem  with  God,  knowing  that  He  will  ad- 
just everything  according  to  His  unchanging  law,  we 
can  then  withdraw  ourselves  entirely  from  the  propo- 
sition, drop  all  sense  of  responsibility,  and  feel  secure 
in  the  knowledge  that  God  corrects  and  governs  all 
things  righteously.  All  we  ever  need  to  do  is  that 
which  is  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  that  which  con- 
forms to  divine  requirements.  If  our  good  is  evilly 
spoken  of,  this  does  not  affect  the  situation  in  any  de- 
gree, since  God  does  not  hold  us  accountable  for  the 
action  of  others.  Our  responsibility  ceases  when  we 
have  complied  with  the  demands  of  good,  and  there 
we  can  afford  to  let  any  question  rest.  It  makes  no 
difference  how  much  is  at  stake  or  what  is  involved,  if 
we  succeed  in  getting  ourselves  out  of  the  way,  we 
can  then  be  satisfied  with  the  words  of  the  prophet, 
"The  battle  is  not  yours,  but  God's  ...  set  your- 
selves, stand  ye  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord." 

We  cannot  hope  to  work  out  of  this  human  sense  of 
existence  without  making  mistakes.  We  may  make 
many,  but  will  profit  by  them  all.  We  are  at  liberty 
to  change  our  belief  of  things  as  often  as  we  get  new 
light.  We  should  not  let  our  vanity  compel  us  to  ad- 
here to  a  proposition  simply  because  we  have  taken  a 
stand  thereon.  We  should  be  willing  to  relinquish 
our  former  views  and  change  our  thought  on  any  sub- 
ject as  often  as  wisdom  furnishes  us  enlightenment. 


30  LAW  AND  WORK 

Christian  Scientists  are  sometimes  accused  of  being 
changeable.  What  if  they  are,  if  it  is  always  God 
that  changes  them?  Is  a  Christian  Scientist  any  less 
a  Scientist  because  he  changes  his  mind?  Is  a 
general  less  fit  to  lead  his  army  because  in  the  heat 
of  battle  he  changes  his  tactics  under  the  guidance 
of  wisdom?  A  too  determined  sense  of  carrying  out 
a  preconceived  plan  is  more  likely  to  be  the  enthrone- 
ment of  erring  human  will. 

Christian  Scientists  are  minutemen,  armed  and 
equipped  to  respond  to  any  call  of  wisdom,  always 
ready  and  willing  to  abandon  personal  views  or  opin- 
ions, and  to  allow  that  Mind  to  be  in  them  "which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus." 

Adam  H.  Dickey. 


AUTHORITY 

AMONG  the  many  incidental  services  which  Chris- 
tian Science  is  bestowing  on  humanity,  is  this, 
that  it  is  steadily  raising  up  a  great  race  of  exact 
thinkers.  One  of  the  first  discoveries  made  by  the 
student  of  Christian  metaphysics  is  the  scientific 
exactness  of  Mrs.  Eddy's  use  of  words.  At  first  he 
is  inclined  to  think  that  each  word  he  analyzes  is  the 
most  misused  in  the  human  vocabulary.  Gradually 
as  there  dawns  upon  him  something  of  what  the 
unity  of  good  actually  signifies,  he  begins  to  under- 
stand why  any  text  does  to  preach  a  sermon  on,  and 
why  one  word  is  not  more  abused  than  another  by 
the  average  maker  of  dictionaries. 

When  Dr.  Johnson  indulged  in  his  extraordinary 
definitions  of  "excise"  and  "pension,"  the  world 
smiled,  shrugged  its  shoulders,  or  used  strong  lan- 
guage, according  to  its  individual  temperament.  Yet 
those  definitions  were  not  more  arbitrary  or  out- 
rageous than  others  commonly  and  cheerfully  ac- 
cepted by  generations  of  lexicographers  in  great  and 
small  ways.  The  word  "authority,"  for  instance, 
has  probably  never  meant  much  more  to  the  crowd 
than  the  mere  material  power  usurped  by  a  Caesar  or 
delegated  to  a  Pilate.  That  was  how  the  procurator 
of  Judaea  regarded  it,  and  that  was  how  he  defined 

31 


32  LAW  AND  WORK 

it,  with  all  the  arrogance  of  one  of  Rome's  pro- 
consuls, in  the  Praetorium  at  Jerusalem. 

In  Christian  Science,  however,  there  is  no  room  for 
such  a  phrase  as  "near  enough."  No  human  being 
can  be  too  near  to  God;  and  consequently  no  human 
being  can  ever  reason  too  exactly,  too  closely  to 
Truth.  Speaking  one  day  to  the  Jews,  in  the  court 
of  the  women  in  the  Temple,  Jesus  said,  referring  to 
those  "which  believed  on  him,"  "Ye  shall  know  the 
truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  Readers 
familiar  with  the  text  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  are  aware 
that  the  writer,  with  that  precision  of  phrase  which 
is  so  characteristic  of  his  work,  separates  the  abso- 
lute from  the  relative  by  the  use  of  the  definite  article, 
a  distinction  which  is  unfortunately  lost  in  the  trans- 
lation. "The  freedom  of  the  individual,"  wrote  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  of  English  commentators,  with 
that  deep  insight  for  which  he  was  justly  famous,  "is 
perfect  conformity  to  the  absolute — to  that  which  is. 
Intellectually  this  conformity  is  knowledge  of  the 
Truth:  morally,  obedience  to  the  divine  law." 

It  was  precisely  because  Jesus  had  this  knowledge 
of  Truth,  because  in  thought  and  deed  he  lived  in 
absolute  conformity  to  the  absolute,  that  the  synop- 
tists  say  of  him  that  "he  taught  them  as  one  having 
authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes."  The  word  here 
translated  authority  is  exousia,  and  it  is  noticeable 
that  it  is  almost  indifferently  translated  authority  or 
power.  This  is  remarkable,  for  the  king  de  facto 
and  the  king  dejure  are  by  no  means  necessarily 


AUTHORITY  33 

identical,  and  it  proves  that,  in  the  mind  of  the  writer, 
knowledge  of  the  absolute,  expressed  intellectually 
in  conformity  to  Truth  and  morally  in  obedience  to 
divine  law,  constituted  at  once  authority  and  power. 
^'Honesty,"  writes  Mrs.  Eddy  on  page  453  of  Science 
and  Health,  "is  spiritual  power." 

Exactly  what  this  means  is  brought  out  in  the  most 
striking  way  in  the  Fourth  Gospel.  After  one  of  the 
many  occasions  on  which  Pilate,  issuing  from  the 
Praetorium,  had  faced  the  populace  outside,  he  re- 
turned into  the  judgment  hall,  and  with  the  cry  "He 
made  himself  the  Son  of  God"  ringing  in  his  ears,  in- 
quired of  Jesus,  "Whence  art  thou?"  It  was  then, 
astonished  by  the  silence  with  which  his  question  was 
received,  he  demanded:  "Speakest  thou  not  unto  me? 
Knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee, 
and  have  power  to  release  thee?"  The  claim  of  Pilate, 
made  with  all  the  brutal  frankness  of  the  Roman  sol- 
dier, to  dispose  as  he  chose  of  the  life  of  the  prisoner 
before  him,  Jesus  brushed  aside  in  a  single  sentence 
which  set  authority  in  its  true  light:  "Thou  couldest 
have  no  power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  were  given 
thee  from  above."  The  man  who  had  avoided  the 
manifold  pitfalls  set  for  him  by  the  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees, could  have  escaped  now  the  craftiness,  of  the 
high  priests  and  the  blundering  Roman  governor.  If 
he  seemed  caught  within  their  toils,  it  was  only  be- 
cause his  clear  perception  of  the  working  of  divine 
law  seemed  to  show  him  that  the  moment  had  come 
when  he  could  prove  to  humanity  that  life  is  indes- 


34  LAW  AND  WORK 

tructible,  and  Spirit  not  to  be  held  within  the  grasp 
of  matter. 

To  Pilate  authority  was  the  right  to  do  as  he  chose. 
It  stood  for  power  shorn  of  responsibility.  He  had 
the  same  patrician  contempt  for  the  Jews  in  Jeru- 
salem that  his  countryman  Gallio  had  for  those  in 
Corinth :  a  contempt  which  Monsieur  Anatole  France 
has  pictured,  in  the  greatest  of  his  short  stories,  when 
he  describes  the  procurator  chafing,  years  later,  on  a 
Roman  hillside,  over  the  turbulence  of  the  Jews  and 
the  ingratitude  of  the  Emperor,  while  utterly  obliv- 
ious of  that  fateful  Easter  drama  in  the  Praetorium  at 
Jerusalem.  If  Pilate  had  dared  to  treat  the  Jews, 
screaming  for  the  release  of  Barabbas,  as  Gallio  had 
treated  Sosthenes  and  his  friends,  nothing  would  have 
given  him  greater  pleasure.  He  was  to  learn,  how- 
ever, the  limits  of  his  authority  from  the  fanatical 
mob  he  alternately  browbeat  and  cringed  to. 

The  Jews  had  dragged  Jesus  before  Pilate,  accusing 
him  of  claiming  to  be  their  King.  The  plot  was 
worthy  of  the  high  priests.  They  knew  that  the  very 
thing  Pilate  dared  not  face  at  Rome  was  the  accusa- 
tion of  permitting  a  usurper  to  cause  trouble  in  the 
province.  It  is  true  that  they  knew  equally  well  that 
there  was  no  claim  on  Jesus'  part  to  the  old  idea  of 
the  Messiah  as  a  conquering  military  leader.  They 
knew,  however,  that  no  distinction  would  be  drawn 
in  Rome  between  the  spiritual  claim  of  Jesus  and  the 
traditional  claim  of  some  Judas  Maccabeus.  The 
Jews  also  knew  this,  and  they  knew  that  Pilate  knew 


AUTHORITY  35 

it.  As  a  consequence  the  man  who  a  moment  before 
had  boasted  to  Jesus  that  he  had  authority  to  punish 
him  or  let  him  go,  blenched  when  he  heard  the  shout 
upon  the  pavement,  "We  have  no  king  but  Caesar." 
He  knew  what  Caesar  in  Rome  would  say  if  the  report 
came  that  the  procurator  of  Judaea  was  parleying 
with  treason,  and  the  Jews  knew  that  he  knew  it. 
The  struggle  of  the  Roman  to  have  his  own  way  and 
let  go  the  man  his  common  sense  told  him  was  inno- 
cent, was  pitiable  in  its  weakness  in  the  face  of  the 
merciless  malice  of  the  high  priests,  echoed  in  the 
scream  of  the  mob,  "We  have  no  king  but  Caesar." 
The  man's  empty  boast  of  his  power  to  do  as  he  liked 
shriveled  before  his  realization  of  the  ability  of  an- 
other man,  more  powerful  still,  to  do  as  he  liked.  So 
he  delivered  Jesus  unto  them  to  be  crucified. 

That  was  Pilate's  dream  of  authority, — the  relative, 
human  sense  of  authority  collapsing  in  a  moment  at 
the  touch  of  a  stronger  hand.  It  happens,  however, 
that  we  have  Jesus'  own  idea  of  authority,  and  it  is 
to  a  Roman  soldier  that  we  owe  the  explanation  of  it. 
It  was  on  the  day  when  he  came  down  from  delivering 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  that,  as  he  entered  into 
Capernaum,  he  met  the  centurion.  And  there,  in  the 
narrow  street  of  the  Galilean  town,  amid  the  press  of 
the  passers-by  in  their  many-colored  gabardines,  the 
Roman  soldier,  in  his  scarlet  toga  and  gleaming 
helmet,  stood  and  talked  with  the  great  Teacher  until 
the  latter  marveled. 

Twice  only,  in  the  whole  story  of  his  ministry,  is  it 


36  LAW  AND  WORK 

recorded  that  Jesus  marveled.  The  first  time  was  at 
the  lack  of  belief  amidst  the  people  of  his  native 
Nazareth;  the  second,  at  the  understanding  of  the 
centurion.  It  could  not  have  been  the  mere  act  of 
belief  in  the  centurion  at  which  Jesus  marveled,  be- 
cause he  did  find  equal  faith  without  expressing  such 
astonishment.  The  reason  must  be  sought  elsewhere, 
and  will  be  found  in  the  spiritual  insight  of  the 
Roman  expressed  in  his  understanding  of  authority. 
It  must  be  admitted  that  the  translators  of  the  author- 
ized version  by  dropping  the  word  "also"  from  the 
Greek  text  of  Matthew,  did  their  utmost  to  darken 
counsel  by  words  without  knowledge.  The  revisers, 
wiser  in  their  generation,  restored  the  word,  and  with 
it  the  key  to  the  saying :  "For  I  also  am  a  man  set 
under  authority."  The  Roman  had  caught  a  glimpse 
of  something  which  had  been  hidden,  it  is  to  be  sus- 
pected, from  all  the  multitudes  to  whom  Jesus  had 
preached,  and  for  whose  benefit  he  had  performed 
miracles.     No  wonder  the  Master  marveled. 

To  Pilate  authority  was  the  power  to  do  as  he  liked. 
In  all  Judaea  there  was  no  one  to  dispute  his  power. 
To  Tiberius  authority  was  the  power  to  do  as  he  liked. 
Within  the  confines  of  the  empire  there  was  no  one 
to  dispute  his  word.  The  centurion  saw  something 
beyond  this.  A  suspicion  of  disloyalty  breathed  to 
Caesar,  and  where  would  Pilate  be?-  A  dagger's  point 
in  the  capitol,  and  where  would  Caesar  be?  To  him 
authority  meant  the  might  and  dominion  of  Rome, 
which  would  continue  after  Tiberius  and  Pilate,  per- 


AUTHORITY  37 

haps  in  spite  of  them.  He  was  a  man  truly  under 
authority,  the  authority  of  the  Roman  eagles  and  the 
Pax  Romana,  He  was  the  servant  of  the  Roman 
law.  If  he,  backed  by  this  mere  temporal  power, 
could  say  to  this  man,  "Go,  and  he  goeth;  and  to  an- 
other, Come,  and  he  cometh,"  what  might  not  be 
possible  to  this  servant  of  Jehovah,  understanding 
and  applying  the  divine  law?  The  cohorts  of  fear, 
the  legions  of  disease,  the  armies  of  death  would 
vanish  at  his  word :  ''Speak  the  word  only,  and  my 
servant  shall  be  healed." 

Millions  of  men  viewing  the  figure  of  Jesus,  in  the 
perspective  of  the  centuries,  have  invested  him  with 
all  sorts  of  miraculous  powers  which  they  have  denied 
to  the  dwellers  in  Christendom.  But  here  was  a  Gen- 
tile soldier  who  met  the  Hebrew  teacher,  a  despised 
Jew,  in  the  streets  of  the  little  Galilean  town,  and 
realized  his  power  because  he  understood  something 
of  what  authority  meant.  How  many  of  those  who 
bow  themselves  today  before  the  ''man  of  sorrows,'' 
are  willing  to  recognize  that  his  true  followers,  among 
those  whom  they  meet  today  in  the  press  of  the 
streets,  are  those  who  are  striving  to  put  into  practice 
the  command  to  preach  the  gospel  and  to  heal  the 
sick? 

In  the  Messianic  prophecies,  in  the  book  of  Isaiah, 
the  "man  of  sorrows'*  is  spoken  of  as  the  servant  of 
Jhvh,  a  word  from  which,  by  the  process  of  mingling 
its  consonants  with  the  vowels  of  Adonai  has  been 
produced  the  term  Jehovah.      The  writer  of  those 


38  LAW  AND  WORK 

prophecies  understood  full  well  what  would  be  the 
reception  by  the  world  of  the  man  who  should  mani- 
fest such  * 'perfect  conformity  to  the  absolute"  as  to 
become  entitled  to  the  Messiahship:  ''He  is  despised 
and  rejected  of  men ;  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief :  and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him ; 
he  was  despised,  and  we  esteemed  him  not."  The 
Roman  centurion  met  Jesus  in  the  streets  of  Caper- 
naum, and  recognized  the  Christ,  and  Jesus  marveled. 

Authority,  then,  as  explained  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, is  the  corollary  of  spiritual  understanding,  of 
conformity  to  the  absolute.  This  being  so  it  must 
necessarily  be  a  demonstrable  quality;  and  so,  all 
through  the  Gospels  the  word  is  found  used  almost 
inseparably  from  healing.  The  word  healing  is,  of 
course,  used  in  Christian  Science  in  a  far  broader 
sense  than  the  mere  overcoming  of  physical  disease. 
It  is  used,  as  it  is  used  in  the  Bible,  to  express  the 
destruction  of  anything  that  is  unlike  God.  Jesus 
spoke  with  the  same  authority  to  the  tempest  as  to 
disease,  and  to  death  as  to  the  tempest.  "Suffering, 
sinning,  dying  beliefs  are  unreal,"  Mrs.  Eddy  writes 
on  page  76  of  Science  and  Health.  "When  divine 
Science  is  universally  understood,  they  will  have  no 
power  over  man,  for  man  is  immortal  and  lives  by 
divine  authority." 

Anybody  who  has  been  the  instrument  of  healing, 
in  this  way,  the  apparently  most  insignificant  case  of 
disease,  knows,  beyond  argument,  how  divine  is  the 
authority  which  said  to  the  tempest,  "Peace,  be  still," 


AUTHORITY  39 

and  cried  at  the  mouth  of  the  tomb,  "Lazarus,  come 
forth."  It  is  something  quite  devoid  of  will-power, 
of  suggestion,  or  any  of  those  frail  material  means 
through  which  the  human  mind  works.  It  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  knowledge  of  the  absolute,  acquired  by  the 
patient  effort  to  live  in  conformity  to  the  absolute,  to 
realize,  in  short,  and  put  into  practice  the  command 
of  Jesus,  "If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow 
me."     Such  a  man  lives  under  divine  authority. 

Frederick  Dixon. 


